Introduction:

Fistula is an abnormal passageway between two epithelium organs in the body that normally do not connect or between an organ and the exterior of the body. Spontaneous colo-umbilical fistulas secondary to non-complicated diverticular disease are rare. The aim of this paper is to report the second case of spontaneous colo-umbilical fistula.

Case report:

The following case report describes the development of a colo-umbilical fistula in a 56-year-old male patient that manifested with the outflow of intestinal material through the umbilical scar; once colonoscopy was completed, it showed non complicated diverticular disease. The patient did not show any symptoms; therefore, an exploratory laparotomy was performed, finding sigmoid colon communication to the umbilical scar.

Results:

We performed a sigmoidectomy with transverse-recto anastomosis; the patient recovered properly and left the surgery service three days after the surgical procedure.

Discussion:

There are different causes of fistula; one of them is diverticular disease, followed by others like inflammatory bowel disease -in particular, Crohn disease- and injury to the urinary tract.

Conclusion:

The most common cause of fistulas in Mexico is complicated diverticular disease or diverticulitis. The first case report of colo-umbilical fistula was reported in 1993. This is the second case reported.